Picks: Atriarch, Get The Shot, Thy Art Is Murder

Let’s get this out of the way at the very beginning: the new Brand New album, dropped into the eye of such a beautiful storm last week, is the first one you should be listening to. Even by the often fawning standards of this weekly roundup we can’t get close to being impartial, so we’re swerving it. But it’s special. Obviously.

If it’s bleak ye want, then bleak ye shall have. Dead As Truth is the fourth album from Portland death rockers Atriarch and it’s terrific. Its titanic, gothic post-punk is laden with doom metal and seamlessly floats from the oppressively heavy to the downright freakish. Opener ‘Inferno’ is the longest song and builds an atmosphere that’s almost claustrophobic. Atriarch have the ability to find real character and flair in a sound that others deploy as style over substance. ‘Dead’, the brilliant second track, is utterly maniacal – Bauhaus beefed up for the discerning metalhead.

Get The ShotInfinite PunishmentGet The Shot/New Damage Records[Spotify]

A few times a year the boys at That’s Not Metal will review an album that we’d otherwise have missed and is a total stormer. Case in point: Infinite Punishment, the new record from Quebec City’s Get The Shot. This dark, lairy crossover is right up our street. ‘Faith Reaper’ gets motoring with a pure metal guitar solo and then breaks into an irresistible hardcore bounce, and it’s that blend that makes this such a killer album. There’s no compromise here. It’s hardcore and it’s metal. It’s riffy to the ends of the earth. It’s aggressive and angry, and yet catchy enough to be infectious and uplifting from top to bottom. Sensational.

And so we arrive at Thy Art Is Murder, the Australian deathcore outfit who’ve made a real dent on their global scene. Two years ago I reviewed their third album, Holy War, and rather enjoyed it, before never really going back to revisit it. I’ve already spun Dear Desolation more this weekend than I’ve played its predecessor since 2015. The ever-present extremity is a tantalising combo of death metal and increased groove, while the hardcore edge is the key to the riffs that make this record an absolute corker. Listen out for the one-two punch of ‘Man Is The Enemy’ and ‘The Skin Of The Serpent’ – riffs for days. We’re into it. Bravo.